1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to machinery for processing heavy objects and, more particularly, to a machine for translating heavy objects from a vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration.
2. Background Art
In the field of processing heavy objects and, more particularly, coils of steel, machinery is required to perform even the most mundane tasks. In the processing of steel coils, the coils are frequently manufactured in a vertical configuration. However, because the steel coils tend to roll when in this configuration, the steel coils must be laid on their sides before they can be safely transported. As steel coils can often weigh several tons, this is commonly accomplished by a downender transport table.
A typical downender transport table, according to the prior art, comprises a table of rollers, a section of which is designed as a coil receiving section and can move from a horizontal configuration to a vertical configuration. This coil receiving section of the table of rollers further includes an arbor for receiving a steel coil by slidably engaging the inner diameter of the steel coils.
In operation, the coil receiving section of the table of rollers moves to a vertical position, and the arbor then extends from the coil receiving section. The steel coil is pushed onto the arbor by a turnstile or other machine, and the coil receiving section of the downender transport table returns to its horizontal configuration. The arbor then retracts, and the rollers freely drive the steel coil down the processing line towards a stacking machine or other piece of equipment.
A drawback of this prior art configuration is that each roller in the downender transport table must be at least as wide as the steel coil. Because steel coils weigh several tons, the rollers bend under the weight of the steel coil; such bending reduces the useful life of the roller, which must be heavier and more costlier due to the weight of the coil. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the amount of bending increases in direct proportion to the length of the roller. In addition, because the rollers are driven roller to roller by chain sprocket mechanisms at a constant rate, they endure additional unnecessary wear even when there are no steel coils to transport. It is therefore desirable to reduce roller wear in a downender transport table, in turn, reducing the cost of manufacturing the downender transport table and eliminate the chain sprocket mechanism on the rollers.
Another drawback of the current art arises from the fact that the steel coils tend not to stay in the center of the processing line. Rather, the steel coils have a tendency to move from side to side, as the result of variations in the roller speed, the uniformity of the rollers, the vibrations of the rollers and the level of the table amongst other reasons. This side to side movement of the steel coils can create several additional complications. For example, the steel coils may slide off of the side of the table, or may not stack properly if the they are not properly aligned prior to stacking.
Furthermore, this movement of the steel coils may affect other machines and sensors which perform operations on the steel coils. For example, a banding machine typically applies steel bands to the steel coils while they are moving down the processing line. The banding machine may malfunction if the center of the steel coil is not properly aligned with the machine, or if there is insufficient clearance between the steel coil and one of the sides of the processing line. Delicate sensors are also located on the sides of the processing line, and can be easily damaged by side-to-side movement of the steel coils. It is thus another object of this invention to keep the steel coils in the center of the processing line and prevent the steel coils from moving from side to side.
These and other objects will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims and drawings.